A solo getaway at an English country cottage is a pleasant way to spend the holiday—but it takes two to really make things merry . . .

Antonia prefers a quiet Christmas. She’s happy to spend it on her own, watching Hallmark holiday movies in her pajamas, eating what she wants, when she wants.

Antonia’s friend Jules, on the other hand, loves a big Christmas celebration and plans on traveling to the Yorkshire Dales for a festive break. But when Jules breaks her leg, she persuades Antonia to make the trip on her behalf. Arriving at the little cottage, Antonia meets the handsome property agent Oliver. But she can’t escape the weird locals—or avoid embarrassing situations like mistaking a cow for a burglar.

As Christmas approaches, the attraction between Oliver and Antonia grows. She could choose to return to the bustling city and spend it alone. Or she could choose love and have a not so quiet Christmas . . .

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

I realised the only place available meant sharing a table with an elderly bearded gentleman. A chap who wore a scowl so serious it could have turned my wine sour.

My Review:

This was a gentle, relaxing, humorous, and sweet holiday read.   As a favor for her only friend, a socially awkward woman arrives in a tiny village full of oddly quirky yet likable and endearing residents and surprises herself when she finds she is enjoying her stay. The engaging storylines were a delight, easy to follow, amusingly entertaining, and realistically drawn. I adored all the characters and enjoyed the main character’s gradual transition and sweet romance. This is one of those rare books from my reading listing that could be recommended to my elderly mother’s church lady book club without reservation.

And score! I also noted two new additions to my Brit Words and Phrases list with pootled – which Mr. Google informed me was British informal meaning to move in a leisurely manner, and Sunday name – which is also British informal for the full version of a first name or Christian name.

About the Author

Suzie Tullett is an author of contemporary humorous fiction and romantic comedy. She has a Master’s Degree in Television & Radio Scriptwriting and worked as a scriptwriter before becoming a full-time novelist. When she’s not busy creating her own literary masterpieces, she usually has her head in someone else’s.

Suzie lives in a little cottage on the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, along with her husband and two Greek rescue dogs.

Social Media Links –

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THE CHRISTMAS ESCAPE
  by Sarah Morgan

ISBN: 9781335462817

Publication Date: October 26, 2021

Publisher: HQN Books

BookShop.org / Harlequin  / Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Powell’s / Google Books / BookBub

This Christmas, be whisked away by USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan in this uplifting novel of friendship, the festive season, and risking everything for the biggest gift of all…

Christy and Alix are forever friends. Not even Alix’s well-meant but badly-timed intervention the night before Christy’s wedding has put a dent in their bond. There’s nothing Alix won’t do for the woman who helped fill the hole in her heart left by her own family’s rejection. But taking Christy’s boisterous little daughter Holly on holiday to Lapland, days before Christmas, is a huge ask. Marketing whizz Alix might know how to turn toys into million-dollar Christmas bestsellers, but the responsibility of parenthood terrifies her. And unfortunately, she’ll have a witness to her ineptitude, in the annoyingly delicious shape of Zac, Holly’s father’s best friend, who will also be there…

Christy had hoped this year would be her dream Christmas, in her dream new family house. Instead, it’s turning into the nightmare before Christmas, with a frightening list of household repairs, no money, and a make-or-break crisis in her marriage. Even worse, it’s a crisis of her own making, and one that is on her shoulders to fix. With best friend Alix coming to the rescue and looking after Holly, Christy will finally have time to focus on rebuilding her relationship.

As Alix confronts her fears and finds unexpected romance under the Northern Lights, and Christy fights to save her marriage, could it be that their Christmas holiday opens their eyes, and their hearts, to what they’ve always wanted?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

It turned out that you could reinvent yourself if you moved far enough away from everyone who knew you.

Her life was unraveling so fast she expected to find nothing but strands of it at her feet.

“It’s not sentiment, Alix. It’s emotion. And unlike you, I’m not afraid of emotion.” She was pretty sure that if she took the lid off hers right now, he’d be afraid.

No way am I staying in that confined space with you… It’s more of a health and safety issue. My health. Your safety.

 My Review:

This was a hybrid mix of genres of women’s fiction, romance, and family drama with a holiday theme with the added bonus of generous lashings of amusing wry wit and humor. I always enjoy a Sarah Morgan read, as she is a skilled storyteller who can certainly weave a perceptive and entertaining tale with original yet knowable characters while hitting all the feels.

Once upon a time, there was a man who stood aside, imagining he could live someone else’s life and dreaming of something which would never be his; yet he wasn’t ready to give it up.

Once upon a time, there was a man who loved a woman. His only wish was to watch her achieve her dreams – without knowing that the only dream she ever wanted to achieve was him.

Once upon a time, there was a woman afraid that no one would ever be able to love her – without knowing that there was a man who had loved nothing but her for his entire life.

That man is me: Reid Johnson. And that woman is her: my deepest secret. Fine, so I have a few secrets – but it would be best not to reveal them, as they could take everything I have away from me. And without those secrets, I’d have nothing to dream of.

There are two things you should know about me before deciding whether or not to read this story:

I’ve never been the person everyone thinks I am.

I’ve never been the man she believes me to be.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

It’s been eleven years, and she still smells the same. She smells like freshly-cut grass, like the morning sunrise. She smells like the sea, washing up forgotten memories. She smells like wood crackling in a fireplace. Sloan smells like home: the only home I could ever dream of going back to every night.

You have this armour of cynicism, this tough exterior, but then you do or say things that totally go against your personality, and I can’t understand why. You confuse me.

 My Review:

I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy the character of Reid for several chapters into the book, although his snarky inner musings and rude and snappy banter often had me snorting into my coffee.   I really should know better than to sip while perusing such a wickedly funny author.

The engaging and provocative storylines hit all the feels and were well woven and laced together with teasing tendrils of hidden complications and issues kept just out of reach yet periodically dangled in a taunting manner to keep me tethered to my kindle. My brain was itching with questions and theories. A.S. Kelly is a rather ruthless tease and a sly and crafty mistress of words. I am eager to amass and lose myself in more of her clever tales.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Back to being stereotypes the public love. I think our days of any substantial roles to get our dentures into are well over.

‘Is it an older woman you’re after?’ She lifted the hem of her skirt to show a soft round kneecap. ‘There’s always myself if you’re seeking a cougar– there’s life in this auld one yet. I’m eighty-one this autumn and I’d be up for a bit of gadding about in the camper van, especially if you throw in some pub meals and a few jars of ale…’

‘I’d like a Buttery Nipple. Three, if you have them. I assume you know how to make a Buttery Nipple?’ The barman stared, amazed, so Vivienne continued. ‘That’s thirty millilitres of Butterscotch Schnapps and fifteen millilitres of Irish Cream liqueur, please.’ ‘I’ll have a Kahlua, Irish Cream and a whisky cocktail,’ Mary piped up. ‘Otherwise known as a Duck’s Fart.’

Gwen felt a little uncomfortable in the red tankini, although Mary assured her that she looked ‘the business’, before turning to Vivienne and commenting, ‘That new swimsuit of yours is very skimpy, Vivienne. You look like you’re wearing orange dental floss.’ Vivienne smiled, adjusted her sunglasses and laid back, her skin gleaming with sun oil; Mary’s words were a compliment.

‘I’m recovering from a heart attack.’ However, she dug into the sausages with gusto. ‘So, when I’m back in London, I’m starting the 80:20 diet– well, it’s not a diet, it’s more of a way of life.’ Vivienne winked in Gwen’s direction. ‘So, you eat and drink everything you want 80 percent of the time, Mary, and for 20 percent of the time you eat more frugally.’ Mary was puzzled. ‘I thought it was the other way round,’

‘Who are you playing?’ ‘A nun.’ Mary brayed with laughter. ‘Are you sure they know what you’re like? What sort of nun will you be? One that wears lipstick and suspenders and drinks like a fish?’

Vivienne, who had protested throughout the meal that she’d look a sight the following day if she drank any more, was clearly not in control of her wrists: she kept reaching for the bottle, pouring more and then drinking continuously while she chattered. Mary kept up with her, declaring that she’d start the 50:50 diet when she returned to London, much to Gwen’s amusement: Mary had no idea that she’d changed the numbers.

My Review:

These storylines alternated between squeezing my heart with the characters’ challenges and poignant regrets, and putting a smirk on my face from the amusingly clever wit and irreverent sass of the three main protagonists as they bond during their adventure. The mature cast of characters was skillfully contrived and their individual story threads were brilliantly plotted and scaffolded into the narrative.

I adored them all, a feisty actress who enjoyed her wine and always had a relevant Shakespearean quote, an uptight former opera singer, and a retired pediatric nurse gifted in the use of profanity and creative expletives.   Of course, the latter was my favorite 😉 I plan to be just like her when I grow up.

And score, it has been a good while since I’ve had an addition to my British Isles Words and Phrases list and I have a dozy this time with pox bottle – which Mr. Google informed me is Irish slang for an irritating, unwanted person with the addition of the word bottle used for extra venom. I plan to put this one into immediate use.

When her husband David announces he’s been offered a job in New York, Saoirse is thrilled. The glamour of the big city, the shopping, the culture, not to mention the free Manhattan apartment and business class airfare – what’s not to like? There’s just the small matter of making it work for their daughter, five-year-old Anna, who isn’t so keen to leave her friends and school behind.

The Big Apple in the middle of summer isn’t quite the holiday Saoirse envisaged, and with David away with work, New York apartment sizes on the minuscule side, and the pace of life faster than the sleepy London suburbs, solo ex-pat parenting pushes Saoirse to her limits.

And as the pressure builds and ‘faking it till she makes it’ isn’t cutting it, there’s only one thing for it – Saoirse and Anna need a new plan, and ‘Winging It’ might be their best option…

Emma Murray returns with this laugh-out-loud funny, compulsively page-turning adventure about parenting, traveling, and finding your tribe – on both sides of the pond. 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Eventually, I do what I always do when faced with a complex problem: I push it to the back of my mind and pretend it doesn’t exist.

I do everything in my power to stop my face from falling. Just when you think you’ve found a new friend, she turns out to be in the PTA.

‘Well, I don’t mean to generalise but I’m not sure if Americans are into swearing,’ I say, hoping I haven’t offended them… Roars of protest follow. Darcy’s voice is the loudest. ‘Of course I swear!’ she says indignantly. ‘I have five kids and a husband who still hasn’t learned the kids’ soccer timetable, or how to take out the trash.’ … A feeling of pure exhilaration fills my chest. Maybe, just maybe, I have found my American tribe.

This is our first time celebrating Thanksgiving and I really enjoy the festiveness of the occasion. Mind you, I think it’s fair to say that Anna doesn’t quite grasp the concept: her teacher laughingly told me that when she gave a smooth rock to each of the kids and asked them to paint what they were grateful for, Anna wrote ‘iPad’ when everyone else wrote ‘Mom’, ‘Dad’, ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’. At least David and I know where we sit in the pecking order.

‘Come on, Mummy!’ Anna says, pulling at my sleeve impatiently. ‘Jen is having a connip-shit!’ A fit of giggles rises up in my chest. ‘I think you mean “conniption”.’

My Review:

This was my introduction to the cleverly amusing wit of Emma Murray, and I found it good fun as she kept a near-constant smirk on my face during perusal. The storylines were comical, engaging, original, and easy to follow. I enjoyed all the characters as they were generally likable, realistically flawed, and accessible and even the obnoxious ones were humorously entertaining with knowable and recognizable traits. I look forward to reading this author again and again.

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The Cold Killer
(DI Barton #4)
by Ross Greenwood

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

‘How’s your wife?’ Mortis’s wife had just got over a cancer scare… ‘She’s great. Demands sex every day.’ ‘Nice. With anyone we know?’ asked Zander.

‘Yes, I killed that dirty old man. He was rude to me.’ ‘How did you kill him?’ ‘Prison beans give me deadly farts. I straddled him and gave him a full load.’ Barton heard a brief titter come from Strange before she nipped it in the bud. ‘Will you admit to that in a court of law?’ asked Barton. ‘I’m prepared to demonstrate how I did it.’ ‘We’ll be in touch.’ ‘I could show you now.’ ‘Out!’

‘I’ve got an itch in my head about her.’ ‘That’s probably just the hamster on the wheel in there needing some more cheese.’

My brain isn’t happy with how this fits together. It’s as though I have a finished jigsaw puzzle, but a few of the pieces are in the wrong place.

My Review:

My introduction to the ingenious scribblings of Ross Greenwood may seem backward as I picked up the fourth book rather than starting at the beginning with book number one. While I have every intention of reading every well-chosen word this clever wordsmith has and well ever pen, I didn’t need to start at the beginning as this compelling story was excellently crafted. The engaging storylines and descriptive narratives were gripping and perceptively fashioned with the strength of a kickboxer’s legs and more than capable to stand alone with occasional mentions of the previous cases that made up the earlier installments. I am rubbing my hands together in glee as I anticipate reading each and every one of them.

About the Author

Ross Greenwood is the bestselling author of eight crime thrillers. Before becoming a full-time writer he was most recently a prison officer and so worked every day with murderers, rapists, and thieves for four years. He lives in Peterborough.

 

 

Winter, 1921. Lady Eleanor Swift, amateur sleuth and reluctant lady of the manor, has been invited to spend Christmas in Scotland, at the beautiful castle of her dear friends Baron and Baroness Ashley. Even her favorite companion, master of mischief Gladstone the bulldog, is coming along to share a slice of turkey. As the snow begins to fall outside, the rather mismatched group is cozy by the roaring fire, sharing a tipple over a plate of Mrs. Trotman’s famous mince pies.

But after what was supposed to be a fun party game, Mr. Eugene Randall is found dead at the feast. A somewhat unpopular business associate of the Baron’s from across the pond, it seems Mr. Randall has certainly upset somebody. Was it what he said about Scottish whisky?

The killer must be in the castle… and when the Baron is arrested, Baroness Ashley begs Eleanor to investigate. Determined not to let her friend down, Eleanor sets about questioning the remaining partygoers.

All too swiftly, someone else is found dead, having apparently fallen from a high balcony. As if one murder wasn’t enough to put a twist in the tinsel! Eleanor knows she’s skating on thin ice now. And when she discovers a hidden document that points the finger of suspicion at the unlikeliest of suspects, she realizes there’s more to the story. Can Eleanor catch the killer before it’s time for Christmas dinner?

The perfect cozy mystery to curl up with this winter! Fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey, and Lee Strauss are in for a festive treat.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

The truth was, she had still yet to hold so much as a formal tea at Henley Hall, even though she’d inherited it well over a year ago. Not that she was antisocial; she often attended events at other estates, after all. It was just that having spent a lifetime abroad, she may have been perfectly comfortable tackling dangerous animals, and equally dangerous locals in far-flung places, but tackling the social niceties of England in her own home was a far more daunting prospect.

I hope sleep manages to creep under yer door before the dawn…

‘I did bring the ultimate make-everything-bearable-if-only-for-a-few-delicious-moments medicine.’ She tipped the tray, making the plate bearing an impressive display of chocolates nestled on an ivory napkin clink against the bottle of sherry and the two crystal glasses.

Exhaustion is fatigue’s elder brother, sickness be their parents.

My Review:

The engaging and amusing storylines are original and easy to follow yet unpredictable with a nuanced network of twists and turns while the gentle pair of an adventurous titled lady and her every prepared and brilliantly acquitted butler make their observations, ponder the possible suspects, and fine-tune their theories. This tale took the pair to the land of my forebearers in the clear and frosty air of Scotland during the holidays – oh, I do loves me a Scottish burr. The narrative also included a spot of whimsy with the inclusion of a selkie, a mythical creature I was compelled to consult Mr. Google for further edification.   What fun!

About the Author

Amazon
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Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humor, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

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“This two-in-one romance starts a new series that Mallery’s many fans will devour like a Christmas cookie.”—Booklist

Susan Mallery, author of the Fool’s Gold romances, cheerfully invites you to Wishing Tree, where Christmas comes to life…

The Somerville sisters believe in love, but they’ve lost faith it will happen for them. Reggie hasn’t been home since the end of the world’s shortest engagement. When her parents decide to renew their vows, she buffs up her twinkle to help with the Christmas wedding. Unexpectedly, Toby, her first love, is back too, and the spark between them shines as brightly as ever. In the spirit of the season, will they let go of past hurts and greet the New Year together?

Done waiting for the one, Dena is pregnant and on her own—on purpose. But then a gorgeous, sad-eyed songwriter checks into a room at her inn. Micah, unable to write since he lost his wife, finds inspiration in Dena’s determination to be a mom. One snowflake-speckled kiss and he’s a goner. But Dena is afraid to believe that a rock star could fall for a cookie-cutter small-town girl like her.

As the Christmas wedding draws closer, these two sisters just might unwrap the most treasured gift of all—love.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“Sarcasm becomes you.” Reggie raised her glass. “It’s a classic look that flatters all of us.”

“This is why I never had children,” Ursula grumbled. “First you throw up, then they throw up. It’s too many fluids for me… you can’t drink and you get hemorrhoids. I remind my friends of that when they try to convince me God’s a woman. There’s no way God’s a woman.”

She planned to stay awake so she could remember every moment. She would need the details for when she was eighty and reliving the past.

My Review:

This is a pleasant holiday story to crank up the seasonal reading binge with liberal sprinklings of wit and humor, cute animals, family drama, small-town living, community Christmas traditions, and contemporary romance.   The storylines were engaging and easy to follow, the pace was slow and leisurely, and the characters were endearing and likable. Everything I have come to expect and enjoy in a Susan Mallery book. And this one kicks off a new series based in a small town near Seattle, which has definite standards and expectations for the holiday season. I look forward to returning there but only on my Kindle, as I am a tropical gal who avoids snow and cold weather.